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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. As a young servant for Mr. Salgado, Triton's regular duties include what?
(a) Organizing books and catching fish.
(b) Milking cows and gathering eggs.
(c) Watering plants and taking food to the poor.
(d) Serving tea and sweeping floors.

2. What do the police and neighbors discover at house number eight?
(a) The wife rubs hot chillies all over her husband as punishment for his indiscretions.
(b) The wife steps on a cluster of poisonous scorpions.
(c) A visiting classical singer is trying to stay there without being noticed by the neighbors.
(d) The husband is drunk and cranks up the volume of the radio and television.

3. How long has the cashier been out of Sri Lanka?
(a) Fairly recently.
(b) A decade.
(c) Seven years ago.
(d) A year and a half.

4. What about Mr. Salgado captivates young Triton when they first meet?
(a) His gentle voice.
(b) His ever-present smile.
(c) His colorful shirts.
(d) His unusual glasses.

5. Why does Triton run away from home?
(a) He is the oldest of twelve kids and he wants to get away from the daily chaos.
(b) He burns a roof at his school and fears his father's wrath.
(c) He is tired of the daily beatings he receives from his uncle.
(d) His mother wants him to become a temple priest, but he refuses.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Joseph leaves and Triton is left alone in the house, how does the boy feel?

2. When the narrator and the cashier strike up a conversation, what does the narrator want to know?

3. Why does the cashier turn off the outside lights?

4. What do Triton, Mr. Salgado, and others in the neighborhood hear coming from house number eight?

5. What languages does the cashier say he speaks?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of the first section, what does the narrator begin to talk about with the gas station cashier?

2. Describe the Volkswagen introduced in the first part of the book.

3. When he is a boy, why does Triton regard Mr. Salgado's house as the "center of the universe"?

4. In the opening scene, what kind of trouble does the cashier experience?

5. In "Part 1, Kolla", why is Triton left alone in Mr. Salgado's house?

6. What happens in 1962, when Triton's narration begins?

7. When the cashier asks the narrator if he lives close by, what does the man reply?

8. Describe the relationship between Triton and Mr. Salgado.

9. Through which character does the author choose to reveal the changing sociopolitical landscape of Sri Lanka across many decades?

10. At the start of the story, who does the narrator speak with?

(see the answer keys)

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